Threadfin jack
Encyclopedia
The threadfin jack, Carangoides otrynter (also known as the thread pompano), is a species
of coastal marine
fish
in the jack family Carangidae
. The species inhabits the tropical waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean
from Baja California
in the north, south to Ecuador
and the Galapagos Islands
. It is a moderately large fish, growing to 60 cm (23.6 in) and may be recognized by its filamentous dorsal
and anal fin lobes. The threadfin jack inhabits both deeper coastal waters and inshore environments including reef
s and estuaries, where it preys on minute benthic and pelagic organisms, including small fishes and crustacean
s. Very little is known about the ecology and reproductive cycle in the species. The threadfin jack is of importance to fisheries throughout its distribution, caught by hook and net
methods and marketed fresh and salted, and is considered a very good table fish
. The species was named Carangoides dorsalis by Theodore Gill
twenty years before the name Caranx otrynter was introduced, but confusion with Vomer dorsalis led to the proposal of the new name to separate the two species.
Carangoides
, one of a number of groups of fish referred to as jacks and trevallies. Carangoides is further classified in the family Carangidae
, itself part of the suborder Percoidei
and the order Perciformes
; the perch-like fishes.
The species was first scientifically described by the American ichthyologist Theodore Gill
, who named the species Carangoides dorsalis based on the holotype
taken from the west coast of Central America
. This name and description was published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, in which Gill one year previously described another carangid; Vomer dorsalis. The state of carangid taxonomy
at the time was rather confusing, with many synonymous genera and species present in the literature, and Vomer dorsalis was soon moved to Caranx, as was Carangoides dorsalis, creating a taxonomic homonym
. To address this problem, the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan
and Charles Henry Gilbert
in 1883 created the name Caranx otrynter as a replacement for the species originally named Carangoides dorsalis, basing their description on a new holotype specimen taken from Mazatlán
, Mexico
.
The authors indicated that if Vomer was found to be a valid genus or subgenus, Vomer dorsalis could be reinstated and the original combination of Caranx dorsalis be restored. Despite V. dorsalis being transferred to Selene dorsalis, this never occurred and in a 1994 publication, Gerald Allen and D. Ross Robertson placed Caranx otrynter into the genus Carangoides,
where it has remained ever since. The specific name otrynter is derived from Latin, and means 'a driver', in allusion to the whip
-like ray of the second dorsal fin
. The common name
s of the species 'threadfin jack' and 'thread pompano' also both refer to the filamentous, threadlike dorsal fin.
in its adult form, having a compressed, oblong
body, with the dorsal and ventral profiles approximately equal in concavity. The head profile is quite angular, being most steep immediately above the mouth, and being moderately steep to the nape
, becoming more horizontal posteriorly. The juveniles are have a more oval to diamond shape, looking much like juveniles of the genus Alectis. The dorsal fin
is in two parts, the first being greatly diminished and consisting of 8 spines entirely embedded in the skin, with the second dorsal fin composed of 1 spine and 18 or 19 soft rays. The anal fin is composed of 2 anteriorly detached spines followed by 1 spine and 16 or 17 soft rays. Both juveniles and adults have highly elongated second dorsal and anal fin lobes, extended out into long filaments, and are most pronounced in juveniles.
The lateral line
has a moderate, regular arch anteriorly, which is approximately equal in length to the straight posterior section. The straight section has 0 to 15 scales
followed by 40 to 52 small scute
s. The breast is devoid of scales ventrally to behind the pelvic fin origin and diagonally up to the pectoral fin base. Both jaw
s contain uniform bands of small, weak teeth becoming wider posteriorly and irregular conical outer teeth in adults. There are 21 to 23 gill raker
s and 24 vertebrae.
In life, the threadfin jack is a silvery blue above, becoming silvery white on the underside, with golden to yellow reflections. The first dorsal and pelvic fin is grey, while the second dorsal, anal, pectoral and caudal fins are hyaline
or grey with a yellow tinge. Juveniles have clear dark vertical
bands, fading with age. Much like the shadow trevally
, there are small black spots on the bases of soft dorsal rays and the body immediately below them that increase in size with age, and there is a small black blotch on the upper operculum
.
, inhabiting the western coast of America
. The northern limit to the species range is southern Baja California
, with its range extending south to Mexico
and Central America
to a southern limit of Ecuador
, with the species also recorded from the Galapagos Islands
. It is one of only two species of the genus Carangoides found on the western coastline of the Americas, with the other species being the widely distributed island trevally
, Carangoides orthogrammus.
The species appears to undergo a major transition in lifestyle after its juvenile phase, with young individuals leading a pelagic lifestyle, able to be transported to offshore
islands such as the Galapagos by currents. Older individuals are more benthic in nature, inhabiting the bottom of the water column in mostly coastal waters on reef
s.
Smaller fish have been recorded from estuaries, mangrove
lined creeks, shallow bay
s and lagoon
s, although larger fish live in much deeper waters up to 50 m (164 ft) in depth.
of the threadfin jack is unknown, with the species diet the only studied aspect of its biology. A study in fishes of the continental shelf
of Colombia
found the species takes predominantly small, benthic fishes of the families Triglidae, Synodontidae
and Batrachoididae. Other common prey included benthic crustaceans including various crab
s and shrimp
s.
Nothing is known of its reproductive cycle, although it has been inferred the juveniles live a pelagic lifestyle.
The threadfin jack is of some importance to fisheries throughout its range, although individual catch statistics for the species are not kept. It is often caught by hook and line methods or by gill nets and various artisanal traps. It is considered to be good to excellent table fair
, and is marketed both fresh and salted
. The species has also been found at a number of archaeological sites in both Panama
and Ecuador, indicating it has been caught by humans for food for at least 3450 years. The threadfin jack is also of interest to angler
s who catch the species occasionally, and is considered a minor gamefish. Juveniles are occasionally caught from shore based settings such as pier
s and breakwater
s, while larger individuals are caught over deeper reefs. The species takes a variety of bait including fish and prawns, but they also take lures
including hard body and small fly-like Sabiki lures.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of coastal marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the jack family Carangidae
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. The species inhabits the tropical waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
from Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
in the north, south to Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and the Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
. It is a moderately large fish, growing to 60 cm (23.6 in) and may be recognized by its filamentous dorsal
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
and anal fin lobes. The threadfin jack inhabits both deeper coastal waters and inshore environments including reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s and estuaries, where it preys on minute benthic and pelagic organisms, including small fishes and crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s. Very little is known about the ecology and reproductive cycle in the species. The threadfin jack is of importance to fisheries throughout its distribution, caught by hook and net
Fishing net
A fishing net or fishnet is a net that is used for fishing. Fishing nets are meshes usually formed by knotting a relatively thin thread. Modern nets are usually made of artificial polyamides like nylon, although nets of organic polyamides such as wool or silk thread were common until recently and...
methods and marketed fresh and salted, and is considered a very good table fish
Fish (food)
Fish is a food consumed by many species, including humans. The word "fish" refers to both the animal and to the food prepared from it. Fish has been an important source of protein for humans throughout recorded history.-Terminology:...
. The species was named Carangoides dorsalis by Theodore Gill
Theodore Gill
Theodore Nicholas Gill was an American ichthyologist, mammalogist, malacologist and librarian.Born and educated in New York City under private tutors, Gill early showed interest in natural history. He was associated with J...
twenty years before the name Caranx otrynter was introduced, but confusion with Vomer dorsalis led to the proposal of the new name to separate the two species.
Taxonomy and naming
The threadfin jack is classified within the genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Carangoides
Carangoides
Carangoides is a genus of tropical to subtropical marine fishes in the jack family, Carangidae. They are small to large sized, deep bodied fish characterised by a certain gill raker and jaw morphology, often appearing very similar to jacks in the genus Caranx...
, one of a number of groups of fish referred to as jacks and trevallies. Carangoides is further classified in the family Carangidae
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, itself part of the suborder Percoidei
Percoidei
Percoidei is one of eighteen suborders of bony fish in the order Perciformes. Many commercially harvested fish species are contained in this suborder, including the snappers, jacks, whitings, groupers, bass, perches and porgies.-Divisions:...
and the order Perciformes
Perciformes
The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...
; the perch-like fishes.
The species was first scientifically described by the American ichthyologist Theodore Gill
Theodore Gill
Theodore Nicholas Gill was an American ichthyologist, mammalogist, malacologist and librarian.Born and educated in New York City under private tutors, Gill early showed interest in natural history. He was associated with J...
, who named the species Carangoides dorsalis based on the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
taken from the west coast of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. This name and description was published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, in which Gill one year previously described another carangid; Vomer dorsalis. The state of carangid taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
at the time was rather confusing, with many synonymous genera and species present in the literature, and Vomer dorsalis was soon moved to Caranx, as was Carangoides dorsalis, creating a taxonomic homonym
Homonym
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that often but not necessarily share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings...
. To address this problem, the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
and Charles Henry Gilbert
Charles Henry Gilbert
Charles Henry Gilbert was a pioneer ichthyologist and fishery biologist of particular significance to natural history of the western United States. He collected and studied fishes from Central America north to Alaska and described many new species...
in 1883 created the name Caranx otrynter as a replacement for the species originally named Carangoides dorsalis, basing their description on a new holotype specimen taken from Mazatlán
Mazatlán
Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The authors indicated that if Vomer was found to be a valid genus or subgenus, Vomer dorsalis could be reinstated and the original combination of Caranx dorsalis be restored. Despite V. dorsalis being transferred to Selene dorsalis, this never occurred and in a 1994 publication, Gerald Allen and D. Ross Robertson placed Caranx otrynter into the genus Carangoides,
where it has remained ever since. The specific name otrynter is derived from Latin, and means 'a driver', in allusion to the whip
Whip
A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
-like ray of the second dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
. The common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s of the species 'threadfin jack' and 'thread pompano' also both refer to the filamentous, threadlike dorsal fin.
Description
The threadfin jack is a moderately large species, growing to a known maximum length of 60 cm. The species is similar in appearance to a number of jacks in the genera Carangoides and AlectisAlectis
Alectis is a genus of fish in the family Carangidae containing three extant species, all of which are large marine fishes. They are commonly known as threadfish, diamond trevallies and occasionally pompanos, although they have no close affiliation with the true pompano genus.-Taxonomy:Alectis is...
in its adult form, having a compressed, oblong
Rectangle
In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is any quadrilateral with four right angles. The term "oblong" is occasionally used to refer to a non-square rectangle...
body, with the dorsal and ventral profiles approximately equal in concavity. The head profile is quite angular, being most steep immediately above the mouth, and being moderately steep to the nape
Nape
The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is referred to by the word nucha, which also gives the adjective corresponding to "nape" in English, "nuchal"....
, becoming more horizontal posteriorly. The juveniles are have a more oval to diamond shape, looking much like juveniles of the genus Alectis. The dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
is in two parts, the first being greatly diminished and consisting of 8 spines entirely embedded in the skin, with the second dorsal fin composed of 1 spine and 18 or 19 soft rays. The anal fin is composed of 2 anteriorly detached spines followed by 1 spine and 16 or 17 soft rays. Both juveniles and adults have highly elongated second dorsal and anal fin lobes, extended out into long filaments, and are most pronounced in juveniles.
The lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
has a moderate, regular arch anteriorly, which is approximately equal in length to the straight posterior section. The straight section has 0 to 15 scales
Scale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
followed by 40 to 52 small scute
Scute
A scute or scutum is a bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, the feet of some birds or the anterior portion of the mesonotum in insects.-Properties:...
s. The breast is devoid of scales ventrally to behind the pelvic fin origin and diagonally up to the pectoral fin base. Both jaw
Jaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
s contain uniform bands of small, weak teeth becoming wider posteriorly and irregular conical outer teeth in adults. There are 21 to 23 gill raker
Gill raker
Gill rakers in fish are bony or cartilaginous processes that project from the branchial arch and are involved with filter feeding tiny prey. They are not to be confused with the gill filaments that compose the bony part of the gill. Rakers are usually present in two rows, projecting from both the...
s and 24 vertebrae.
In life, the threadfin jack is a silvery blue above, becoming silvery white on the underside, with golden to yellow reflections. The first dorsal and pelvic fin is grey, while the second dorsal, anal, pectoral and caudal fins are hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
or grey with a yellow tinge. Juveniles have clear dark vertical
Vertical direction
In astronomy, geography, geometry and related sciences and contexts, a direction passing by a given point is said to be vertical if it is locally aligned with the gradient of the gravity field, i.e., with the direction of the gravitational force at that point...
bands, fading with age. Much like the shadow trevally
Shadow trevally
The shadow trevally, Carangoides dinema is a species of inshore marine fish in the jack family Carangidae...
, there are small black spots on the bases of soft dorsal rays and the body immediately below them that increase in size with age, and there is a small black blotch on the upper operculum
Operculum (fish)
The operculum of a bony fish is the hard bony flap covering and protecting the gills. In most fish, the rear edge of the operculum roughly marks the division between the head and the body....
.
Distribution and habitat
The threadfin jack is distributed throughout the tropical regions of the eastern Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, inhabiting the western coast of America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. The northern limit to the species range is southern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, with its range extending south to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
to a southern limit of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, with the species also recorded from the Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
. It is one of only two species of the genus Carangoides found on the western coastline of the Americas, with the other species being the widely distributed island trevally
Island trevally
The island trevally, Carangoides orthogrammus , is a widespread species of offshore marine fish classified in the jack family Carangidae...
, Carangoides orthogrammus.
The species appears to undergo a major transition in lifestyle after its juvenile phase, with young individuals leading a pelagic lifestyle, able to be transported to offshore
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
islands such as the Galapagos by currents. Older individuals are more benthic in nature, inhabiting the bottom of the water column in mostly coastal waters on reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s.
Smaller fish have been recorded from estuaries, mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
lined creeks, shallow bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
s and lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s, although larger fish live in much deeper waters up to 50 m (164 ft) in depth.
Biology and fishery
Much of biology and ecologyEcology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
of the threadfin jack is unknown, with the species diet the only studied aspect of its biology. A study in fishes of the continental shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
found the species takes predominantly small, benthic fishes of the families Triglidae, Synodontidae
Synodontidae
The Lizardfishes are a family, the Synodontidae, of aulopiform fish. They are found in tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world....
and Batrachoididae. Other common prey included benthic crustaceans including various crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s and shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
s.
Nothing is known of its reproductive cycle, although it has been inferred the juveniles live a pelagic lifestyle.
The threadfin jack is of some importance to fisheries throughout its range, although individual catch statistics for the species are not kept. It is often caught by hook and line methods or by gill nets and various artisanal traps. It is considered to be good to excellent table fair
Fish (food)
Fish is a food consumed by many species, including humans. The word "fish" refers to both the animal and to the food prepared from it. Fish has been an important source of protein for humans throughout recorded history.-Terminology:...
, and is marketed both fresh and salted
Salting (food)
Salting is the preservation of food with dry edible salt. It is related to pickling . It is one of the oldest methods of preserving food, and two historically significant salt-cured foods are dried and salted cod and salt-cured meat.Salting is used because most bacteria, fungi and other potentially...
. The species has also been found at a number of archaeological sites in both Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and Ecuador, indicating it has been caught by humans for food for at least 3450 years. The threadfin jack is also of interest to angler
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
s who catch the species occasionally, and is considered a minor gamefish. Juveniles are occasionally caught from shore based settings such as pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
s and breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
s, while larger individuals are caught over deeper reefs. The species takes a variety of bait including fish and prawns, but they also take lures
Fishing lure
A fishing lure is an object attached to the end of a fishing line which is designed to resemble and move like the prey of a fish. The purpose of the lure is to use movement, vibration, and colour to catch the fish's attention so it bites the hook...
including hard body and small fly-like Sabiki lures.